In fabrication of semiconductor components and devices, processes mature and change. Changes in a process of one component, such as a transistor, affects the processes of other components such as resistors. Typically, this is the case when the components make use of common materials, contact points, etc. For example, the same process step may be used in fabricating a transistor and resistor.
For example, performance changes to a transistor may dictate a change in the process. Therefore, process changes also follow as to an affected resistor. The affected resistor therefore may have to be able to deal with whatever change is dictated by the new process, such as a different trench resistance. Furthermore, as the process matures, different materials may be used, thus affecting resistance values of the resistors.
In designing a circuit architecture, a particular resistance value is called for. Therefore, any future process changes must account for particular resistance values. To accommodate process changes, a typical approach is to provide a large variation in resistance in the circuit design; however, this may lead to compromises in architecture design. Other approaches include a new circuit design, revising dies, re-tuning the product in development phase, and/or the use of precision resistors. Such solutions have been shown to be time consuming and costly.